There we were, gripping our cabernet sauvignon from the Maipo Valley of Chile as the Spanish conquistadors approached the country along the desert route of Atacama from Peru. No one seemed alarmed. The following week, as the Goths and then the Huns took control of Spain, we calmly swirled and took in the aromas of a wine made from the Airen grape in that country's La Mancha region, feeling quite safe from the carnage. The week after? As we contemplated the 2001 Chateau Les Ormes de Pez from St. Estephe in our glass, Eleanor of Aquitaine thwarted two separate kidnapping attempts as she fled home to Bordeaux after her annulment to the King of France, and ran straight into the arms of the man who was about to become King of England, as protection from the bandits.

One night a week, as we entered the Wines of the World class offered at the Napa Valley College, our historians and guides, Paul Wagner (owner and president of Balzac Communications in Napa) and Michael Jones (winemaker, consultant and export director of Pepper Tree Wines) led us out into a wine region of the world where, from our classroom seats, we learned how each event in that region's history became a building block to the current structure of its wine industry, and, how that shaped the very wine we were swirling in our glasses. Take, for example, Eleanor of Aquitaine's flight into the inner chambers of King Henry II of England. In order to endear himself to his new wife and to the people of Aquitaine (an area encompassing present-day Bordeaux), whom he now ruled, the king did not impose a tax on Bordeaux products imported into England. That made the wines of Bordeaux quite inexpensive and thus readily available to the citizens of Britain, which, from that day forward, helped Bordeaux gain its worldwide reputation for quality wines. Now there's an interesting marketing campaign.

And marketing, as well as geography, vineyard practices, wine production were all addressed to different degrees in order to provide an understanding of the wine region being studied. Did you know the vineyards in Mendoza, Argentina, are netted -- not against birds as they are here in the Napa Valley -- but against hail? And the highest mountain in the Americas, Mt. Aconcagua, sits in Argentina, and its run-off irrigates the vineyards naturally. Interesting, you think, as you sit there tasting blueberry and tobacco notes in a 2003 Mendoza malbec from Felipe Rutini.

Did you know that to make sake, the water you use is very important? Use the harder water from the northern areas of Japan, containing a good amount of minerals and calcium, and the yeast have to work very hard to convert the sugar to alcohol. They shift into high gear in order to deal with the task before them, and manage to convert all of it to alcohol, leaving a nice, dry sake. But take the softer water from the southern areas of Japan, containing more iron, and the yeast see an easy task ahead of them. They get lazy and don't work as hard. Not all of the sugar is converted so you are left with a sweeter sake. Interesting, you think, as you swoosh a fruity and floral, yet dry, Sawanoi Ginjoshu from Tokyo (hmm S hard water, you note).

This class, given each spring from January through May at the College's St. Helena campus, and in the fall from August through December at its main Napa location, takes you on journeys through approximately 25 wine regions with tastings at each class of at least 18 wines -- usually more -- representing different varietals and styles of wine from each region, and all for about $199. (This fee is for California residents, representing $78 for the course, and a $115 wine laboratory fee along with a few administrative fees. Different fees apply for out-of-state students). That is the same amount that it will cost many of us to drive to our vacation locations this year, and a record high number of us are not traveling very far -- certainly not around the world. Not for $199. And you don't have to take weeks of vacation time off from work, step on airplane after airplane, pack and re-pack, and return home in debt from hotel and restaurant bills. But you do have to BYOG -- bring your own wine glasses. And don't forget a spit cup so you can safely drive home.

Registration for this course starts in July. And there are plenty of other wine-related classes to choose from. To obtain a course catalog or to get information on registering, go to www.napavalley.edu or call 253-3000.